


I'm a frail evergreen, be a bauble hanging off of me

by jannika



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:34:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2710775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jannika/pseuds/jannika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam has a brand-new job just in time for the holidays and just in time to be assigned one of his brand-new coworkers in the annual holiday exchange. One of his brand-new coworkers who happens to be that incredibly attractive guy who works in the art department. </p><p>Or ridiculous holiday fluff in which Louis, Liam and Zayn are coworkers. Liam is trying to get to know Zayn, Louis has a master plan, Zayn's making a bet with himself, Niall's making a different bet, and Harry is a biased judge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm a frail evergreen, be a bauble hanging off of me

**Author's Note:**

> A fluffy piece of secret-Santa-style holiday fic, because why not, really? Featuring a lot more Liam, Louis, and Zayn than Harry or Niall. Mostly because Liam, Louis, and Zayn interacting is my not-secret-at-all weakness. (The Harry/Louis here is very background.) 
> 
> As always, for the Liam to my Zayn and my very favorite girl.
> 
> (Come say hello on Tumblr!: http://mightfindmevaluable.tumblr.com/)

Liam has been at his new job for less than a week and he’s still learning names and where his desk is when the envelope drops on his keyboard and he looks up to see Heather from marketing grinning at him. They’d warned him during his interview, they’d told him that by starting this time of year he’d be part of the Annual Holiday Exchange before he actually got to know anyone. Two weeks ago when his savings were running so low he’d had a low grade panic about his rent racing through his head, it didn’t seem like a remotely big deal. Now under Heather’s eyes and with an envelope he knows contains a name and instructions, the same sort he’d written his own name on early this morning, he feels sort of anxious about it. Really, it’s not fair to whoever he gets when they could have someone who knows them and would get them better gifts, and it’s not fair to someone who gets him to have buy for the new guy. Liam shakes his head as he pulls out the name, and then closes his eyes a little. He doesn’t know everyone yet, so maybe he’s wrong about the name and maybe he’s thinking of the wrong person altogether and-

“You alright there, love?” Heather asks, smiling at him warmly. She’s nice, Heather is, about his mum’s age and always seems to be doing favors for other people at the office, Liam’s noticed. 

“Um, could you, I don’t know everyone yet, so I’m not sure who this is?” Liam says, shrugging. Heather laughs a little.

“Who’ve you got? Not me, is it?” Heather asks. Liam shakes his head rapidly. 

“No um, Zayn?” he says. 

Heather smiles again and points over to the art department and says, “That one, by the window, red shirt.”

“Thanks,” Liam says. That’s. He was pretty sure that was the answer. He’s pretty good at names, actually, he doesn’t generally forget when he’s been told. His introduction to the three people in the art department had been brief and days ago, but, yeah, that’s what he’d thought. His anxiety is even worse now, and he bites the inside of his cheek. Zayn is like, aside from being an artist, he’s all, he has this _thing_ about him, an air of something. He’s covered in tattoos and he wears things Liam doesn’t think he could ever pull off in a million years and he appears to be really talented, and overall, the thought of trying to buy something, multiple somethings, for someone like that, makes Liam feel like the most helpless and least cool person on the earth. 

“Have you met Louis yet?” Heather asks, pulling Liam back a little. Liam shakes his head again.

“What?” he asks, a little lost. 

“Well, if I was you, and I had Zayn and I didn’t know what to do, I’d start by talking to Louis,” Heather says. She shakes her basket of envelopes then and adds, “I’m off, more of these to pass.”

“Thanks again,” Liam calls after. Louis. Right. He thinks he has met Louis, actually, desk around the corner and a few cubicles over, bright laugh, bit of a wink when he’d introduced himself. Liam is pretty certain that one is Louis. He turns Zayn’s name over and over in his hand and signs. He supposes he should go find out. 

**

**OFFICE SECRET HOLIDAY EXCHANGE RULES  
** _To build our team and make coworkers into friends we are proud to present the 6th annual office holiday exchange. The closer we are as a team, the more we can achieve!_

You will be assigned a coworker no later than December 1st.  
1.DO NOT TELL THIS PERSON YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO THEM.  
2\. If you do not already know this coworker now, find out what you can about them and what they might like!  
3\. During December you will secretly bring in two smaller gifts in for this person. These do NOT have to be monetary items! Please feel free to bake or craft or anything else you’re inspired to do!  
4\. During the Holiday party on December 22nd you will give one final gift and reveal your identity. 

Please see any member of the Holiday committee with questions. Have fun! 

**

“Um, you’re Louis, right?” Liam says two hours and three cups of coffee later. The guy he’s pretty sure is Louis grins at him.

“I am, what can I do for you, new Liam?” Louis says, making a broad gesture with his hands. (Apparently there was an old Liam, or rather, a Liam who had been a older guy who retired a couple of years ago, so Louis is hardly the first person to refer to him as “New Liam.” He doesn’t mind, really.)

“Well, like, I’ve got Zayn for the holiday exchange? And I don’t know him, or anyone, but Heather said, you might be able to help?” Liam manages, trying to whisper a little because the instructions say to learn about your person, but also to keep things secret, so he’s really not sure what protocol is. 

“Ah,” Louis says. He reaches over and grabs for the desk chair next to him, “Sean’s on vacation, sit,” he finishes, rolling the chair over for Liam to sit. 

“Okay,” Liam says, nodding. He wonders if he should have brought a notebook to jot this all down. 

“So am I the office Zayn expert now?” Louis asks, still grinning. He’s very, sharp, Liam thinks, all around like. His features, eyes and cheekbones, and his whole manor. Sharp, clever, quick. 

“Well, you’re more of an expert than me,” Liam says. Louis grins at him again and nods. 

“Fair. Well, I’m not allowed to just tell you things to get him, that’s cheating and we were all scolded two years ago,” Louis says

“I wouldn’t ask you to,” Liam starts, but Louis puts up a hand,

“Plus, I can’t use up any of my good Zayn ideas on you,” Louis says. 

“Okay,” Liam says, a little thrown by that part, but nodding anyway. 

“So tell you what, why don’t you come out with us tomorrow?” Louis says, putting a hand on Liam’s knee and looking thoughtful.

“What?” Liam says again, looking at the hand on his knee and chewing the inside of his cheek again. 

“For drinks, that way you can get to know him,” Louis says, nodding and looking pleased with himself.

“Won’t that be like, obvious?” Liam asks. 

“Nah, you’re new. I’m just being friendly,” Louis says. His phone lights up on his desk but he ignores it. 

“Okay, but,” Liam attempts. He’s sure there is something wrong with this plan. Not that he’d expected Louis to just tell him a list of things Zayn liked and be done with it or anything, but going out with them for drinks to get to known Zayn properly is a lot more than he was planning. 

“No. I’ve decided, we’ll go out, and don’t look all panicked, I’ll sneak you other stuff on him too, information like, Zayn’ll like it more if you figure it out yourself,” Louis says. Liam feels like that’s fairly ridiculous because Zayn doesn’t know him so he’s not sure how Zayn could like anything he does better than anything else. He nods anyway. 

“Right,” he says. Louis grins again.

“Zayn!” he yells, suddenly and loudly across the office. From the art department Zayn sticks his head out, looks at Louis’ waving arm gesture, rolls his eyes and walks over. Liam sinks in his seat a little.

“Yes?” Zayn says when he gets closer. Liam tries not to stare at him.

“Have you met Liam yet?” Louis asks, grin in his words, “I’ve invited him for drinks tomorrow.”

“We’ve um, the other day I met everyone, like,” Liam says before Zayn can say anything. He’s not sure why. Zayn glances down at Liam, expression a little unreadable. 

“Sure,” Zayn says. Liam’s unclear if he means that in response to knowing Liam or Liam coming out for drinks, or both. 

“Great!” Louis says, beaming at both of them, quick smirk on his face again. If anything, Liam is more anxious than he’d been before.

*

Liam and Louis slip into a booth in a bar Liam’s never been to but likes instantly. It’s relaxed and not too loud and just dim and shadowy enough to make it feel like a night out. He lets the atmosphere pull a little of the tension out him, like wire uncoiling just a bit.

“So, drink of choice?” Louis says. Zayn’s meeting them in a bit. Liam half thinks he won’t show. He doesn’t know why he thinks that. He doesn’t know Zayn at all.

“Um,” Liam says, he scans the drink list on the wall, going for cheap. He hasn’t actually gotten paid yet, and he just doesn’t have the savings left for much, even knowing a paycheck will be in his account soon. 

“On me,” Louis adds. Liam shakes his head, but Louis keeps going, “you can’t have gotten paid yet and I invited you.”

“If you’re sure,” Liam says. Normally he’d fight that, he would, but he’s really not in the position to argue right now. 

“There’ll be a night it’s on you,” Louis says, then he smiles again and gets up, to get drinks Liam assumes, and leaves Liam by himself to contemplate far too many things. 

Zayn comes in while Louis’s gone, sliding in to Louis’ side of the booth and far against the wall. “Hey,” he says, nodding in greeting.

“Um, hi,” Liam says back. Zayn’s thrown a different shirt on than he’d been wearing in the office earlier that day, and his hair looks a little different too, although Liam can’t quite work out how. It makes him a little dizzy though, in a low, stirrings of a crush sort of way, something about how Zayn looks in the light, about the casualness of the bar, about the mission of getting to know him, it all hits Liam at once. 

“So,” Zayn starts, but then Louis is back and passing them all drinks, Zayn included. 

“Zayn! I missed you!” Louis enthuses, slightly sarcastic and all smiles. 

“You know I like to keep you waiting,” Zayn says, reaching for his drink and smiling, bigger than Liam has seen him yet. Not that he’s been studying him all day or anything. 

“You like to look better than everyone else in the room,” Louis says, poking a finger to Zayn’s arm at his shirt sleeve.

“Had ink on my shirt,” Zayn says. Louis rolls his eyes in a way Liam thinks is fond. 

“Of course you did,” Louis says. Under the table Liam can feel Louis bounce his leg against Zayn’s. Liam wonders so many things in that moment he can’t begin to form words for them all. He doesn’t get a chance really, because Louis says, “So new Liam, tell us about yourself!” and nudges a glass toward him. 

*

Later, Louis is up at the bar in a long conversation with the bartender, a guy about their age in a loud shirt with long hair, and Liam is, rather drunkenly, telling a story he’s lost the plot of it a few minutes ago, and Zayn is just sort of. Studying him.

“So then we all fell asleep in Niall’s car,” Liam finishes, even though he’s not sure that’s the same story he started. Whatever Louis is buying him is rather strong. 

“Niall is your best mate?” Zayn asks, Liam nods, weirdly pleased Zayn had gotten that. 

“Yeah! Since school!” Liam says, possibly a bit too enthusiastically. He looks over Zayn’s shoulder to the bar, where Louis is still talking to the bartender, leaning in and laughing. “What’s that about?” Liam asks, mouth loose with alcohol.

“That?” Zayn says, following Liam’s line of sight, “is why we come here.”

“What?” Liam asks, he grips his fingers on the edge of the table and repeats to himself not to tell Zayn he’s gotten him in the exchange. He hopes he hasn’t already told him. 

“That’s Harry,” Zayn says, then he pauses and looks at Liam hard, studying him again, before seeming to come to a decision. “He’s uh, all Lou wants, for Christmas, like.”

“He’s,” Liam repeats, and then he grips the table harder because. Oh. _Oh_. Right. Liam giggles and shakes his head, “Oh!”

“Yeah, he’s been in pursuit since spring,” Zayn says, smiling in a way that seems more to himself than to Liam. 

“I thought maybe you two,” Liam says, “two like both, not like also,” he clarifies and feels proud of himself. 

Zayn stares at him again, and Liam grips the table again, but then shakes his head and says, “we get that sometimes,” and then finishes his drink.

Later, with his head swimming, it will occur to Liam that he managed to tell about a dozen stories, but not learn anything about Zayn at all. 

*

On Monday, Louis slides Liam a sketchpad.

“This should help.” he says. Liam blinks at him and then at the worn book in his hand.

“Help?” Liam echoes. 

“Zayn. I didn’t steal or anything, this one’s mine of his, but yeah. Page through it, should help,” Louis says. 

Liam takes it, but doesn’t touch it for three days. 

*

On Thursday, Liam has lunch with Louis and Zayn and finds his first gift on his desk in the afternoon. During lunch Liam manages to tell four more stories about nothing, and he learns about Louis’ sisters and his hometown and hears a story about Old Liam. He doesn’t hear any stories about Zayn. He notices though, he watches, he watches the way Zayn watches Louis, watches the way Zayn does everything. He tries to figure out the quiet, tries to work out if it’s him or not.

After lunch he finds a pair of gloves on his desk, wrapped in a bow, knit and fingerless, green, the sort of thing he loves, actually. He’d owned a similar pair in tan years ago that he’d worn until there were holes in them. He doesn’t know how anyone possibly did this well on their first try. Louis walks past and raises his eyebrows then, grinning. Liam shakes his head and runs his fingers over the gloves.

The night he pulls out the sketchbook, hesitant, but feeling sort of desperate. If he’s gotten a gift but not given one he’s behind, and he can’t have that, doesn’t like that. He flips open the cover slowly and-

He’d known Zayn was talented, of course, but he wasn’t prepared for the sketches and designs and patterns and scrawls, for the comic-style panels telling stories and the characters and- all of it. 

Liam pages through the whole thing cover to cover twelve times that night. 

*  
He finds Zayn the next day outside, smoking and he leans up next to him, not sure if he should, brain full of images. Zayn turns and nods at him, slowly. 

“Hi,” Liam says.

“Hey,” Zayn says. Liam has this new plan that involves talking to Zayn even if Louis doesn’t set up occasions for them to talk.

“Is it okay, me being out here?” Liam asks. Zayn nods again.

“Sure,” he says, foot against the wall, bundled in his jacket and looking cold, “you coming out again tonight?”

“Oh,” Liam says, deflating just a bit, “Louis um, didn’t say, so like, not sure if I’m invited.” 

“You are,” Zayn says. Liam doesn’t know what to make of that, doesn’t know who he is being invited by.

“Okay,” Liam says, opening and closing his hand in his gloves.

“‘Sides, you can be part of my bet,” Zayn says, grinning somewhat unexpectedly. He holds up his cigarettes and holds one out to Liam who accepts gratefully. He doesn’t normally, not all the time, but he has trouble turning down offers.

“Bet?” Liam echoes, fidgeting with Zayn’s lighter. 

“Well, right now, every time Louis doesn’t get Harry to go home with him, I owe myself a pint. It’ll be better with two,” Zayn says, and then, because Liam’s still having trouble, he reaches out and pulls the lighter from Liam’s fingers and creates a flame with a single roll of his thumb. Liam leans in and breathes.

**

They both lose the bet that night, although Liam isn’t certain what the terms actually are. 

**

On Sunday Niall comes over to find Liam looking through the sketchbook again. He can’t help himself, he feels addicted to it. 

“You in love with him or what?” Niall says, throwing himself down on the couch and ruffling Liam’s hair.

“I don’t know him,” Liam says, even though his brain says, _I think I could be._ (Which is absurd and ridiculous in every single possible way, but he thinks it anyway.)

“So get to,” Niall says. Liam sighs and leans back,

“I’m trying,” he says.

That night he writes down a list of questions to ask Zayn.

**

On the way to work on Monday, Liam gets an idea and pops in a shop. It’s nothing really, it’s stupid, but he feels a surge of pride when he overhears Zayn tell Louis the Batman lighter he found on his desk was “sick.”

**

On Tuesday it ice rains and is bitterly cold and Liam is very nearly late. He comes in to find a hot cup of coffee on his desk, waiting, next to a bag of grounds. It’s fantastic coffee and it makes his whole desk smell amazing. At lunch he learns about where Zayn had gone to school and about his family and about his first tattoo, and Liam files all the information away and counts it as a win.

**

By Thursday, he eats lunch with Zayn and Louis every day, a given like they’ve all been friends for years, and he keeps count of everything he is getting to know about Zayn in his head. He’s decided he’ll shop this weekend, that he’ll figure out his second gift and his final thing after one more night out and after his first paycheck finally lands. 

He stands out in the cold with Zayn that afternoon, fingers cold at the end of the fingerless gloves he’s worn every day since they showed up on his desk. Zayn looks at him under the hood he’s pulled around himself, almost covering his eyes and grins. “Cold?” he asks. He pulls the lighter Liam had bought him out from his pocket and runs his fingers over it, absently. 

“I’m okay,” Liam says, bouncing a little to keep warm. Zayn smiles again, slow.

“So’ve you got holiday plans, then? Going home?” Zayn asks. Liam has been counting that too, anytime Zayn asks a question about him, anytime he feels Zayn’s eyes on him the way they are now, interested and curious. He smiles back, still bouncing in the cold. 

“Staying here, actually. Don’t have any time off yet, so it’s too far to make it home and back. They’re coming up in January, though, my family,” Liam says, “the office party is probably the most exciting plan I’ve got.”

“Yeah?” Zayn asks, but he says it laced with things, like he’s just pulled a lot of information out of a few sentences. Liam shrugs. 

“Yeah, what about you?” 

“I’ll be gone for a few days,” Zayn says, stomping out the end of a cigarette with his boots and shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“I figured,” Liam says, and he has. When Zayn had talked about his family Liam had almost felt more like he was invading than with the sketchbook. They’re clearly incredibly important. “You looking forward to it?”

“Yeah,” Zayn says again, this time an affirmation, and then he pulls his phone out and shows Liam pictures, smiling at each one, telling Liam little stories and bits of information to match the people in the pictures, the people Zayn loves, until they’re so cold they have no choice but to go back to work. 

*

On Friday there is a holiday party at the bar. Liam buys drinks for Louis and Zayn now that he’s been paid, and Louis pulls Zayn onto the just-for-tonight dance floor after a couple drinks, grinning and winking at Harry as he does. Liam watches, feeling terribly fond of both of them as he does. He does wonder- he is curious- there is something in the way they dance and the way they are together and the fierce protectiveness with which they seem to guard each other that makes him want to know that story, whatever it is. He doesn’t think it’s any of his business yet. After a few songs he can see Zayn smile and mouth something and then shrug Louis off and head back, Louis at his heels. Zayn sits, but Louis tugs on Liam’s arm and says, “your turn!” all bright and impossible to not comply with. Zayn gives him a look that’s half grin and half shrug as he stands up, following Louis on to the dance floor.

“Should I have made you dance with Zayn instead?” Louis says once they’re on the floor, hands on each other loosely. Liam frowns a little. He hasn’t, he can’t decide if he should tell Louis yet, about the thing where he is falling for Zayn. He isn’t sure how Louis knows anyway. 

“What?” Liam asks. Louis laughs a light amused laugh and shakes his head. 

“Nevermind,” he says, pulling Liam in closer like they’re people who have been friends for much longer than a few weeks. “How is it going, the gift thing?”

“Okay, I think,” Liam says, “I’m going out this weekend.”

“Did you ever look at the sketches? You never told me,” Louis says. Liam feels himself flush a little. 

“I did,” he says. 

“Good,” Louis says, “You looked all conflicted about it.”

“I was, seemed wrong,” Liam admits, which makes Louis laugh again. 

“But you did it,” Louis says, looking delighted. 

“He’s fantastic,” Liam says, not wanting to get into the moral dilemma of it. Louis nods. 

“He is,” Louis agrees. He still seems really pleased, although Liam can’t quite work out by what. “When we were kids,” Louis starts, but then stops and grins again, bright, eyes fixed on Harry behind on the bar for a second. “Liam, do me a favor would you?” he says instead, leaning in to whisper this in Liam’s ear, close. 

“Okay?” Liam says, even though he’d really rather sort of hear the end of whatever story about Louis and Zayn as kids Louis had just started. 

“After this song it’ll be about Harry’s break time, so you should go ask him to dance,” Louis says, still in Liam’s ear, hand on the small of Liam’s back. Liam blinks.

“With you?” he asks. Louis shakes his head, hair brushing Liam’s cheek when he does. 

“No, with you! And then I’ll cut in, steal him from you,” Louis says, looking pleased with himself. Liam considers asking why, considers saying he’s not sure that is a plan that makes much sense at all, but then. Last time he’d thought one of Louis’ plans hadn’t made sense it had led to this moment so, maybe he is a poor judge of things. 

“Um, okay?” Liam says. Louis beams, and then, still whispered close, spends the rest of the dance telling Liam a story about how Zayn had decorated both of their backpacks when they were kids, how he’d drawn on a comic on each of them and at the time it had been the very coolest thing ever and how Louis still has his. Which leaves Liam with more information, but but more questions than ever.

**

He asks at the art supply store about different kinds of charcoal and pencils for drawing, and grabs a quick assortment for Zayn, just a few things, and puts them on his desk on Monday. He tells himself it’s probably silly, because Zayn is an artist and can buy his own things and probably has everything he needs, but then Zayn walks around with a pleased expression on his face and tells both Louis and Liam about it over lunch, grinning in a way that makes Liam’s pulse quicken. 

**

He goes back and forth between several different options for a final gift. In the end he decides on tickets for a comic convention the first week in January. Passes for the whole weekend he gets on good deal. He thinks he’ll ask Zayn to go with him, he thinks he’ll decide if he means that in a friend way or not depending on how Zayn responds. Not that Zayn will have to take him, he can take anyone, and Liam will just be glad to know Zayn is there, really. 

No one really works the morning of the party. Liam spends most of the time at his desk, drinking coffee and responding to instant messages from Louis on his screen. He’s got Zayn’s sketchbook in his bag, too; he’s promised Louis he’d give it back today. He’ll miss it. People start putting out food around two, and by three everyone has stopped even pretending to work, just standing around even though things aren’t meant to start until four. Someone has put mistletoe up, all over, and Liam keeps getting random kisses on his cheek and forehead. It’s kind of nice and holiday like, really. By the time alcohol gets brought in and things get started in earnest, everyone is already celebrating. 

Liam fidgets with the envelope in his pocket, not sure if he should wait or reveal himself to Zayn now. Zayn walks up to him as he’s debating, and Liam wonders if that’s a sign to just go for it. 

“Hey,” Zayn says, handing Liam one of two drinks. 

“Hi,” Liam says. 

“Um, can I show you something?” Zayn asks, he looks a little nervous, actually, now that Liam studies him. 

“Yeah, sure,” Liam says. Zayn nods and takes a gulp of his drink.

“It’s, follow me?” Zayn says. Liam does, of course, trying to work through this, trying to figure out what he’s following Zayn for. Zayn leads them to an office within the sectioned-off art department that Liam didn’t know was there. It’s private and quiet and Liam feels himself flush at just how alone they are all of a sudden. Zayn puts his drink down and walks to a corner and pulls out a large package, all wrapped up. Oh. So, then. Zayn is his. And he is Zayn’s. And Louis must have known this whole time. And. Oh. Liam puts his drink down next to Zayn’s. 

“It’s just a big box, like,” Zayn says, putting a hand on the back of his neck still like he’s nervous, “but um, yeah. I’m your secret exchange person.”

“I’m yours!” Liam says, pulling the envelope out of his pocket. Zayn’s eyes go wide and he laughs this little surprised laugh that makes Liam really, really want to kiss him. He doesn’t, but he wants to. 

“You are?” Zayn asks, grinning. 

“Yeah, so, who first?” Liam says, eyeing the large box and then his own envelope. 

“You,” Zayn says, “I pulled you back here and all.”

“Right,” Liam says, grinning. He takes the package from Zayn and tugs on the paper under Zayn’s eyes. He honestly doesn’t think it matters what it is. As it turns out it’s a giant framed poster of The Avengers, announcing the original release date, one that looks like it might have one been in a cinema window, advertising. “Whoa,” Liam says. 

“My mate manages a place, and he gets these sometimes, and I saw you talking about it on Facebook, so,” Zayn says, shrugging but looking really pleased by Liam’s reaction. 

“My Facebook?” Liam echoes. Zayn looks down again, biting his lip.

“I looked you up right after I got you, before we went out for drinks and such,” Zayn says. Liam thinks he probably should have thought of that. He wouldn’t have traded the way he did learn about Zayn, though. 

“Oh,” Liam says, still staring at his amazingly cool poster, and then bringing his eyes back up to Zayn. 

“Yeah. Niall helped too,” Zayn says. Liam shakes his head a little at the idea, of Zayn and Niall talking about him and him having no idea. 

“That was resourceful,” Liam says, genuinely impressed. Zayn shrugs again. 

“Yeah, well,” he says. Liam still wants to kiss him. He hands Zayn his present instead. 

“Open!” he says. Zayn does, pulling out the passes and then lighting up, biting his lip, eyes dancing a little. 

“Liam,” he says, all wondering like. Liam flushes again.

“I thought, like.” He stops and takes a breath and decides to go for it, all things considered. “I thought we could go together, if you wanted?” 

“I’d like that,” Zayn says, biting his lip still. 

“I mean, you could take anyone you wanted, the other pass is yours for whatever, but I thought,” Liam clarifies, but he’s beaming and his heart is racing in the best of ways. Zayn shakes his head rapidly. 

“You,” he says, and then he sets the tickets down and takes a step in closer to Liam, “I would really like to go with you.”

“Okay,” Liam says, following Zayn’s lead and stepping in as well, leaning so their faces are close.

“Thank you, for the passes, and the lighter and the charcoals,” Zayns says, inches away. 

“Yeah, you too, thank you,” Liam says, shifting his head, “You’re welcome.”

“You too,” Zayn says, right into Liam’s mouth. And then someone closes the gap. Liam honestly isn’t sure which of them goes for it first, the difference is a split second, a hundredth of a breath that can’t be measured and then they’re kissing, Liam’s hand’s going up on Zayn’s face, and one of Zayn’s hands snaking around Liam’s neck. Liam has had first kisses before of course, but none like this. The others had started so cautious and been so shy, felt new and a little awkward. Kissing Zayn makes him feel the boldest he’s ever felt in his life, and there is nothing cautious or shy about how greedy he feels right away, about the intensity they kiss with, the way Zayn’s lips and tongue and breath feel, the slide of their hands and the way they bring their bodies flush against each other. When they finally pull apart, Liam feels burning up from head to toe, he’s never had a first kiss leave him so breathless and wanting. 

“Wow,” he allows himself, or really, isn’t able to stop himself from breathing out, hands still on Zayn’s face. Luckily Zayn just grins, looking light. 

“Yeah,” he says. Liam never wants to let him go. He leans back in and Zayn does the same, kissing and pulling closer and closer until Liam is picking Zayn up and putting him on the desk behind them, nearly spilling their drinks but not stopping. Zayn’s legs go around him and Liam leans all the way in, nearly lost in touching Zayn’s thighs, in Zayn’s hands and how they’re now under his shirt, in the headiness of Zayn’s mouth. He only pulls back this time when a laugh from somewhere out in the office, loud and little drunk reaches them. 

“Probably not the place for this,” Liam says when he can bring himself to stop kissing Zayn, pouting as he says it and keeping his hands on Zayn’s thighs. 

“Suppose not,” Zayn says, but he hooks his legs around Liam’s waist and pulls him in tight as he says it. Which is. Not helpful.

“You could come back to mine with me after the party? If you wanted?” Liam offers, kissing Zayn again quickly as he does. Zayn laughs that happy little laugh again. 

“Yeah, definitely,” Zayn says. Liam thinks he could do this, he could find ways to make Zayn look happy every day and it would feel this amazing every time, he’s sure. 

“You could dance with me out there? I heard there’s dancing,” Liam says. Zayn nods. 

“Always is,” he says. 

“Will you?” Liam asks, running a thumb over Zayn’s cheek.

“Been wanting to,” Zayn says, “almost asked you at the bar.”

“I’d have said yes,” Liam says, making Zayn grin again. Liam grins back. He pauses then, and thinks he should maybe go for full disclosure before they rejoin the party, “Louis um, lent me a sketchbook of yours, he was helping me like, with you.”

“Did he?” Zayn asks, he doesn’t look at all upset, he actually looks sort of pleased by that, too. 

“Yeah, he wouldn’t give me actual ideas or anything, but he was helping me get to know you,” Liam says. 

“I think he did pretty okay,” Zayn says, leaning up to kiss Liam again. 

“Yeah,” Liam agrees, then adds, “You’re amazingly talented, you know that, right?”

“You think?” Zayn asks, looking down at his lap. Liam, because he can, mostly, reaches out and pulls Zayn’s chin up and kisses him again. 

“Yeah, I really do,” Liam says. Zayn grins. It takes them a bit longer, a few more breathless kisses before they actually rejoin the party. Liam grabs for Zayn’s hand as they walk back out, glad this isn’t one of those offices that frowns on employee dating. When they hit the main room people are dancing and a lot drunker than last time they’d been there. Louis calls out to them, sounding triumphant. Liam looks over and finds him- sitting directly under mistletoe and also, puzzlingly, with Harry and Niall. 

“Hello lovers!” Louis chirps at them, tugging them over and kissing Liam and Zayn both quickly on the corners of their mouths, “I see I win.”

“Win?” Zayn asks, as Liam, flushed from Zayn’s hand and everything that’s just happened with them and also from Louis’ quick kiss says, 

“Niall?” 

“Actually, I think I win,” Niall says to Louis, which doesn’t make any sense at all. “Hey, Li.”

“No, because they’ve clearly just hooked up,” Louis says. 

“But they weren’t at the party, they were somewhere else,” Niall says. Liam squeezes Zayn’s hand and looks at him, feeling so very lost. Zayn shrugs back. 

“Harry!” Louis says, “make a ruling.”

“Um,” Harry says, “I think if they were in the building, that counts as being at the party.”

“Ha!” Louis says, sticking his tongue out at Niall.

“The judge is biased, that’s crap!” Niall says, but he’s laughing. Harry pouts and snuggles into Louis. And. What. _What?_

“What?” Liam says. Louis laughs.

“Um,” Zayn says. 

“Well,” Louis starts, “Zayn was doing this terrible job of pretending he wasn’t interested in you, right from when you started, Liam, so I had Heather match you two in the exchange. And then when Zayn mentioned he’d found Niall here on Facebook, I messaged Niall too, and we made a bet about it, on you two, so I had to invite him so we could see who won. And I tried to get Harry in on it, I’ve been telling him about you for weeks, but he wouldn’t bet. Agreed to come, though. And be the judge. And to go out with me next weekend. And to a few things that are not appropriate to talk about at the office,” Louis finishes. Harry laughs. 

“But they were appropriate at my job?” Harry asks. 

“You work at a bar. Also, you were on break. Also, that was a back room,” Louis says, shifting and pulling Harry a little closer to him, looking fond. 

“Wait,” Zayn says, frowning just a little. 

“Yes?” Louis says. 

“You set this up?” Zayn asks.

“You’re welcome,” Louis says. Liam laughs. Everything, actually everything that’s happened in the past few weeks makes sense now. He turns over in his brain that first part, about Zayn being interested in him from the start, and feels himself grinning wide. He thinks they should mention the bet they’d had about Louis and Harry, but he doesn’t really remember it. It’ll come up, he thinks. They grab seats, and then five of them sit around for the rest of the night, drinking punch and laughing. Liam and Zayn do dance several times, as do Harry and Louis, and once all five of them, rather drunk by then. Liam never thought he’d be comfortable enough at work for that sort of thing, but here he is. 

When they leave, everyone saying they’ll have to get together soon, like maybe they’ve all been friends before tonight, Liam pulls on his gloves and packs up his present, pulling Zayn in for multiple kisses as they get ready for the cold.

“You still want to come with me?” Liam asks once they’re outside. Zayn nods quickly, hands in his pockets, bag slung over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he says. They hold hands the whole way. 

**

Two days later, the middle of a lazy weekend day, Zayn is still there, still in Liam’s bed. They’ve hardly left, getting up to eat and then to fall back into bed, lost in the covers, unable to stop touching each other. Liam wants to run his hands over every single inch of Zayn, so he does, over and over, all weekend, and he tastes every inch of skin he touches, and he feels like he’s drawing a map. It’s all, he thinks, part of that list, part of everything he’s learning about Zayn, and he keeps it, every bit of skin and every touch in between the stories and ideas Zayn shares as they talk for hours in the warm hideaway of Liam’s bed. 

“So,” Zayn says, head on Liam’s bare shoulder, running his hands all over Liam’s stomach as he talks. 

“Mm?” Liam says back, eyes half-closed.

“It doesn’t have to be a thing, like, and I know it’s, I don’t mean this in a moving fast way, but if you didn’t want to be alone,” Zayn stops and chews on his lip and Liam opens his eyes wide, fully alert now. 

“Zayn?” he asks to the long pause that follows. 

“Just, my mum would love to have you, not as a thing, just as a friend who would be alone otherwise. For now, you know? If you wanted?” Zayn says, not making eye contact. Liam thinks maybe his heart is bursting. 

“Would you want?” Liam asks. He tries not get stuck on the idea of Zayn asking his family about Liam, but he’s having trouble not having that be one of the most amazing things he has ever heard. 

“I mean, don’t want you to be alone,” Zayn says, but then he grins that light, soft grin he has and adds, “yeah, I think I would.”

“Okay,” Liam says. He doesn’t get to say anymore because Zayn is crawling on top of him, kissing him again, hands all over his ribs and then his chest. He thinks it doesn’t make sense to have said yes, to have been asked, to have someone like Zayn in his bed and asking him things like that in the first place. It doesn’t make sense how fast he’s falling for Zayn, how much he wants to hold onto this. He thinks he doesn’t know how he didn’t meet Zayn years ago, that it doesn’t make sense he hasn’t always known Zayn. He wants to take advantage of every minute with him now, of knowing everything about him now. 

He thinks that this, the way he’s learning the feel of Zayn’s skin against his, the way he’s learning Zayn’s laugh and his smiles, the way he’s learning the looks in Zayn’s eyes, how he’s learning about the words Zayn chooses, how he’s learning that Zayn is wonderful and clever and kind and talented and fucking beautiful and how he fits right here, with Liam, is a lot more than he was supposed to learn. Is above and beyond the call of the holiday exchange. 

Next year will be very boring in comparison, really.


End file.
